Sound-tubes for talking-machines



L. Y. SQUIBB. SOUND TUBE FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- IO. 1917. 1,341,522.

' Patented May 25, 1920 Zioydy A rroRh/Evs WITNESS Ubllh LLQYD Y. SQUIBB, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNUR T0 VICTOR TALKING MACHINE CQMIEANY. A CQBPQRATIQN 0F JZTEW JERSEY.

$pecifica'tion of Letters Patent.

Patented. May 25, 1921).

Application filed August 10, 1917. Serial No. 185,426.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LLoro Y. Seems, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Camden, county of Camden, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sound-Tubes forTalking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in talking machines, and more particularly to the sound tube or sound conduit a generally smooth contour and is withoutobjectionable parts; is of few parts; is readily assembed; is easily manufactured; in which exact machine work is, to a great extent, obviated; and in which the resistance to the free movement of the same, due to friction between the articulated portions thereof, is materially reduced, and in which. the likelihood. of wear, rattle, and looseness occasioned by wear, are also lessened. Further objects of my invention will appear in the specification and claims below.

In the drawings, forming a part of this specification and in which the same reference characters are employed throughout the various views to designate the same parts, Figure lshows in elevation a sound conduit or sound tube, of a talking machine, composed of articulated parts, and showing the relation of the said parts to the sound box, the motor cabinet, and the turntable; Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the connection between the tone arm proper and the gooseneck or other sound box tube; and Fig.3 is an enlarged view, partly insection, showing on an enlarged scale the two connected and movable elements of the sound tube, their operative relation, and the bearings, between the same, the larger bearing being a smooth cylindrical bearing at the point where the gooseneck or other sound box tube enters the tone arm, and the smaller bearing constituting a pivotal bearing, in axial alinement with the large cylindrical hearing.

In Fig. 1 is shown a portion 1 of a cabinet of a talking machine, said portion being either an exterior top part of a cabinet, or

a section of an inclosed partition within a cabinet. To the underside of the motor board 2 may be secured a motor (not shown) the power of which is transmitted to a vertical spindle 3 on the upper end of which is mounted a turntable 4 for carrying a sound record tablet 5. The turntable in its rotation carries the record 5 with it beneath a sound box 6 provided with a stylus 6 adapted to engage and track in the sound groove of the tablet 5. The sound box 6 is attached in any suitable manner to the free end of the gooseneck 7. At the other end of the gooseneck 7, there 1s provided a joint or connection between it and the free end of the tone arm 8.

At its larger end, the tone arm 8 has a bearing 9 in the bracket 10, and a bearing 11 in the overhanging portion 12 of the bracket 10. Upon these bearings 9 and 11, the tone arm 8 is free to swing upon a vertical axis in a plane parallel to the face of the sound record tablet 5. The sound box 6 in tracking across the record, by reason of the engagement of the stylus 6 with the spiral grooves containing the recorded sound, moves the gooseneck 7 and the tone arm 8 in a horizontal plane and transmits the reproduced sound to the gooseneck 7 and through it and through the-tone arm 8 to an amplifier (not shown). It is, of course, apparent that the larger end of the tone arm might be directed upwardly instead of downwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, and the reproduced sound might be thus transmitted to an amplifier located above the tone arm.

Referring to Fig. 2 the small free end 13 of the tapered tone arm 8 is provided with a relatively short cylindrical transverse sleeve 14 provided with an aperture 15, into which the small end of said tone arm is brazed or otherwise rigidly secured. It is, of course, manifest that this joint may be made by processes similar to brazing, such as soldering, or said joint may be made by expanding the metal at the end 13 of the arm 8 into the orifice 15 in the member 14L The gooseneck 7 extending within the sleeve 14 is closed at its innermost end as by a plug 16, provided with a threaded hole 17 lllt to receive the pivot screw 18. The plug 16 is preferably provided With a shoulder 19 abuttin the reduced end 20 of the gooseneck 7 and is rigidly secured, in any suitable manner, within the said end 20. The joint between the end portion 20 of the gooseneck 7 and plug 16 may be strengthened by brazing, if desired, although it is preferable to unite the said parts to each other by forcing the plug 16 into the end 20 of the gooseneck 7. The exterior surface of the plug 16 is preferably provided with a beveled or chamfered portion 21 to form a plane narrow annular surface 22 at the center of the plug 16 and around the hole'17 to bear against or engage with the interior surface of the closed end or head 14 of the cylindrical sleeve 14.

The major portion of the said end 20 is preferably reduced slightly in diameter after the plug 16 has been fastened in the end 20 to form or provide a relatively short annular bearing 23 to smoothly fit in the outer end of the sleeve 14, said bearing 23 extending for a slight distance beyond the open end' of the sleeve 14 so that when the parts are assembled any shoulder at the end of the bearing 23 shall not engage the edge of the sleeve 14. A slight space is provided between the end of the sleeve 14 and the shoulder on the gooseneck so that any slight variation in the distance between the end of the plug 16 and said shoulder or in the length of the sleeve 14 will not'interfere with the proper assembly of the parts or interchanging of the parts with respect to each other.

The pivot screw 18 is provided with a short cylindrical portion 24 between the head and the threaded portion thereof, said cylindrical portion 24 being of the same diameter as that of a circular hole 25 in the head of the sleeve 14 and being slightly longer than the thickness of the material of the head 14 of, the sleeve 14. In making this jointed connection between the gooseneck 7 and the tone arm proper, the tapped hole 17 in the plug 16, the cylindrical interior of the sleeve 14, the cylindrical bearing 23 on the gooseneck 7 and the hole 25 in the sleeve 14 are all in axial alinement. The end 20 of the gooseneck 7 within the sleeve- 14 is provided with a circumferential elongated opening 26 in registry with the passage through the tone arm 8 toprovide a passage for the sound Waves through the wall of the gooseneck to the smaller end of the tone arm proper. This opening '26 is elongated so that the opening in the small end of the tone arm 8 shall not be restricted or reduced by reason of the positioning of the center of the sound box at different distances from the face of the record by reason of a slight vertical movement of the gooseneck, due to any lack of coincidence or parallelism of the plane of top surface of the 'recordwith a plane normal to the axis of the spindle 3.

In assembling the parts above described, the reduced end 20 of the gooseneck with the plug 16 secured in the end thereof, is inserted into the sleeve 14 of the tone arm 8 and the pivot screw 18 is threaded into the hole 17 until the shoulder 24' between the threaded portion of said screw and the cylindrical portion 24 thereof, comes into tight I teriorsurface of the head 14' of the sleeve 14. In practice, it is desirable to form the plug 16 of brass or similar soft metal and the pivot screw 18, when set tightly therein, brings the plane surface 22 of the plug 16, around the cylindrical portion 24 of the screw 18, into smooth bearing relation with respect to the interior of the head 14 of the sleeve 14, to provide for a smooth free turning of the gooseneck within the sleeve 14 and to prevent any substantial longitudinal movement of the gooseneck 7 in the said sleeve 14 when the parts are so assembled In the assembled relation above described, theturning movement of the gooseneck 7 with respect to the sleeve 14 is carried or borne'upon two bearings, namely, the narrow cylindrical bearing 23 of large diameter at the open end of the sleeve 14, and the small pivotal bearing between the cylindrical surface 24 of the screw 18 and the interior of the hole 25 at the head of the SlGBVG 14.

The gooseneck 7 is prevented. from longitudinal movement within the sleeve 14 by substantially a double thrust bearing, namely, the bearing between the small annular surface 22 and the interior of the head 14 of the sleeve 14, and the flat narrow annular bearing between the head of the screw 18 and the exterior of the.head 14 gooseneck or other tube by means of which the sound box is connected to the tone arm, around the axis at the pivoted end thereof. It is also to be observed that except for the making of a smooth relatively narrow cylindrical bearing 23 at the open end ofthe sleeve 14, the only part which 1s required to be made with much exactness, is the cylindrical part 24 of the pivot screw 18. The cylindrical surface 2 1 of this portion of sa d pivot screw 18 should smoothly fit within the reamed hole 25 of the sleeve 14 and its length should be slightly greater (6. g. a few thousandths of an inch greater) than the thickness of the head of the sleeve 14:. Since, however, the plug 16, when made of brass or similar ductile material, may be brought into smooth engagement with the interior surface of the head of the sleeve 14, neither the length nor the diameter of the cylindrical portion 24: has to be constructed with any greater accuracy than that afforded by the usual operation of any standard highg 'ade screw making machine.

A sound tube or conduit assembled and arranged as above described is therefore easy to make and on account of the small wearing surface, is capable of long use without appreciable wear. Any wear which may occur is not such as to tend to make the parts wear out of alinement or to produce rattle between the same. No particular accuracy is required in over-all dimensions or lengths other than as to the length of the cylindrical portion 24: of the screw 18, to which reference has above been made.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a sound tube, the combination of a tone arm, a gooseneck, and a pivotal connection between one end of said gooseneck and the free end of said tone arm, comprising'a cylindrical sleeve substantially closed at one end and rigidly mounted on the free end of said tone arm and inclosing one end of said gooseneck, a relatively narrow cylindrical bearing between the outer surface of the inserted end of said gooseneck and the interior surface of said sleeve, a pivotal bearing between the inner end of said gooseneck and the closed end of said sleeve, and means to prevent longitudinal movement of said gooseneck with respect to said sleeve.

2. In a sound tube, the combination. of a tone arm, a gooseneck having a closed end, and a pivotal connection between said tone arm and said gooseneek, comprising a sleeve substantially closed at one end, rigid with and forming the free end of said tone arm,

and into which said closed end of said gooseneck is inserted, means for pivotally attaching the center of the closed end of said sleeve to the center of the closed end of said gooseneck, a bearing between the other end of said sleeve and the exterior of said gooseneck, and a lateral opening in the mclosed portion of said gooseneck in reglstry with the opening through said tone arm.

3. In a sound tube, the combination of a tone arm, a gooseneck having a substantially closed end and provided with a small axial opening through said closed end, and a narrow fiat annular bearing surface surrounding said opening, and a pivotal connection between said tone arm and said gooseneck, comprising a cylindrical sleeve in which said closed end of said gooseneck has a cylindrical bearing, said sleeve being substantially closed at one end and open at the other and rigid with and forming the free end of said tone arm, and provided with a small axially extending cylindrical hole through said closed end thereof, and a headed pivot fitted in said opening in said closed end of said sleeve and secured in said opening in said closed end of said gooseneck to hold the in nor end of said gooseneck against the closed end of said sleeve.

4. In a sound. tube, the combination of a tone arm, a goosenecl having a closed end, a cylindrical sleeve closed at one end, rigid with the free end of said tone arm into which said closed end of said gooseneck is inserted, and-provided with a cylindrical bearing between the interior of said sleeve and the exterior of said gooseneck, and a pivot pin ooaxial with the axis of said cylindrical bearing, said end of said gooseneck and said sleeve, providing a double thrust bearing to prevent longitudinal movement of said gooseneck within said sleeve and providing a pivoted support upon which, and said cylindrical bearing, said gooseneck may freely oscillate upon an axis coincident with the axis of said cylindrical bearing.

5. In a sound tube, the combination with a tone arm, and a gooseneck having a substan tially closed end, and provided with a small axial opening through said closed end, and a narrow flat annular bearing surface surrounding said opening, of a pivotal connection between said tone arm and said gooseneck, comprising a cylindrical sleeve substantially closed at one end and open at the other, and rigid with said tone arm, and provided with a small axially extending cylindrical hole through said closed end, and a headed pivot smoothly fitting in said opening in said closed end of said sleeve and secured in said opening in said closed end of said gooseneck, and operative to hold said annular bearing surface on the end of said gooseneck in smooth bearing relation with the inner side of the head of said sleeve with the outer side of the closed end of said sleeve in smooth bearing engagement with the head of said pivot.

6. In a sound tube, the combination of a tone arm, a sound box tube, and a pivotal connection between one end of said sound box tube and the free end of said tone arm, comprising a sleeve mounted on the free end of said tone arm and inclosing one end of said sound box tube a substantially cylindrical bearing between said sleeve and said sound box tube, a pivotal bearing between said sleeve and said sound box tube and in axial alinement with said cylindrical bearing, and means to prevent relative longitudinal movement between said sleeve and said sound box tube. v

7. In a sound tube, the combination of a tone arm, a sound box tube, and a pivotal connection between one endof said sound box tube and the free end of said tone arm, comprising a sleeve mounted on the free end of said tone arm and inclosing one end of said sound box tube, a substantially cylindrical bearing between said sleeve and said sound box tube, a pivotal bearing between said sleeve and said sound box tube and in axial alinement with said cylindrical bearing, and a double thrust bearing between said sleeve and said sound box tube to prevent the relative longitudinal movement between said parts.

8. In a sound tube,'the combination of a tone arm, asound box tube, and a pivotal connection between one end of said sound box tube and the free end of said tone arm, comprising a sleeve mounted on the free end of said tone arm and inclosing one end of' tone arm, a sleeve provided at the end of said sound box tube, a substantially cylindrical bearing between said sleeve and said sound boxtube, a pivotal bearing between said sleeve and said sound box tube and in axial alinement with said cylindrical bearing, and means adjacent said pivotal bearing to prevent relative longitudinal movement between said sleeve and said sound box tube.

9. In a sound tube, the combination of a tone arm, a sound box tube, and a pivotal connection between one end of said sound box tube and the free end of said tone arm, comprising a sleeve mounted on the free end of said tone arm and lncloslng one end of ing, and a double thrust bearing adjacent said pivotal bearing and between said sleeve and said sound 'box tube to prevent the relative longitudinal movement between said parts.

10. In a sound tube the combination of a tone arm, a sound box tube, a narrow cylin' drical bearing between said tone arm and said sound box tube, a pivotal bearing, coaxial with said cylindrical bearing, between said tone arm and said sound box tube, and means to prevent movement between said sound box tube and said tone arm in the direction of the axes of said bearings.

11. In a sound tube the combination with a tone arm and a sound box tube assembled in telescopic relation, of a pair'of coaxial bearings between said arm and said sound box tube on which said sound box tube may rotate freely within said tone arm and comprising a narrow cylindrical bearing near one end of the telescoping portions of said arm and sound box tube and a pivotal bearing adjacent the opposite end of said telescoping portions, and means to prevent said portions from moving longitudinally with respect to each other.

12. In a sound tube the combination of a said tone arm, a sound box tube mounted to turn within aid sleeve on two coaxial bearings comprising a narrow cylindrical bearing and a pivotal bearing, said cylindrical bearing being located at one end of said sleeve and said pivotal bearing being located at the other end of said sleeve, and means to prevent rela i ve movement of said sound box tube and said tone arm in the ,direction of the axes of said bearings.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of August, 1917.

LLOYD Y. SQUIBB. 

